American artist Donald Sultan is best known for his ability to merge artistic tradition with a unique modern approach. He focuses on the artistic genre of still life, a common subject matter that has attracted audiences throughout art history. Instead of canvas, Sultan works on Masonite covered with 12-inch vinyl floor tiles. He cuts the shapes he desires into the vinyl and then fills in the cutout space with plaster and/or tar and paints over it. These multiple layers create the texture and subsequent richness that make his works so appealing. This technique has been recreated in the graphic arts workshop of MixografiaBlue Flowers. Sultan describes his work as “heavy structure, holding fragile meaning” with the ability to “turn you off and turn you on at the same time.’

This work has a rough textured black background. In the foreground are eight large, saturated blue teal poppies, five with large black centers. The line is implied through the cuts in the blue paper that distinguish the stems. The flowers extend slightly past the black background. The title and date of the work appears along the left side of the print.